The Blackwood Curse

Chapter 25

Sarah POV

The mansion had always felt like a cage, its walls pressing in from all sides, suffocating any chance of escape. But tonight, for the first time, I had made a break for it.

No one noticed my absence, or if they did, they didn’t care enough to acknowledge it. It wasn’t until I had returned, nearly an hour later, that Axel’s sharp eyes caught me as I stepped back through the front door, the heavy wooden frame closing softly behind me.

He was standing by the fireplace, his hand resting lightly on the stone mantle, his eyes scanning the room with that ever-present intensity. When he saw me, he straightened, his expression unreadable, though a flicker of something passed over his face—concern, maybe. I couldn’t be sure.

"You left," he said, his voice a low murmur, laced with something that bordered on suspicion. "Where did you go?"

I met his gaze, unflinching. For a moment, I considered telling him the truth—telling him that I had ventured out into the night to uncover the truth about the chamber, about the women who had suffered there, about the ties that bound my parents to the Blackwoods. But I couldn’t. Not yet.

The knowledge I had gained in those few hours was too dangerous, too raw. I wasn’t ready to confront it fully, not when I could still feel the sting of those images burned into my mind. Not when the truth threatened to shatter everything I thought I knew about my family.

So, I lied.

"I needed some air," I said, my voice steady, though I felt the pulse of anxiety thrumming beneath the calm exterior. "I couldn’t sleep."

Axel raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced, but he said nothing more. I knew him well enough by now to recognize the way he was reading me, the way his sharp mind was turning over my every word, every movement. But I held my ground, refusing to let him see any trace of what I had learned—or what I had seen.

He took a step closer, his gaze lingering on me for a beat too long. Then, as if he had come to some conclusion, he nodded.

"Don’t go wandering off again," he said quietly, his tone surprisingly gentle. "It’s not safe out there."

"I won’t," I answered quickly, the words slipping from my mouth almost too easily. I wasn’t sure whether I was reassuring him or myself.

Axel studied me for a moment longer, his eyes searching mine, but I kept my face neutral, carefully masking the turmoil inside. He didn’t know that I had uncovered the dark history of this place, that I had seen the remnants of the horrors Victor and Eleanor had kept hidden. He didn’t know that I had seen the faces of the women who were in that chamber, their lives discarded like so many broken things.

And I wasn’t going to let him know. Not yet.

"I’ll be upstairs if you need me," Axel said, breaking the silence between us. His voice was even, but I could sense the weight of something unsaid in his words. He turned then, heading toward the staircase, his footsteps quiet against the floor.

I didn’t move right away, staying rooted to the spot as I tried to steady the erratic beat of my heart. The tension that had built up over the past few hours still clung to me, and I could feel the lingering effects of my brief escape. But I wasn’t sure whether it was the physical exertion or the mental strain that had left me so shaken. Maybe it was both.

I couldn’t let myself slip now. Not when I had finally started to see the Blackwoods for what they truly were—not when I had come so close to uncovering the truth about my parents, about everything they had tried to bury.

I made my way upstairs, careful to avoid drawing any attention to myself, but my mind was anything but calm. Every step felt like it was leading me closer to a precipice, and I wasn’t sure if I was ready to leap—or if I even had a choice anymore.